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Interview with CJ and Dr. Elise McCollum of McCollum Heritage 91 Wines
Great photo of CJ and Dr. Elise McCollum. We have an electric interview with you today. One of the most exciting newer wine brands out of Oregon, McCollum Heritage 91is the brainchild of CJ and Dr. Elise McCollum. CJ is a former Portland Blazer legend and Dr. Elise is a dentist who have started this brand together. It is an exciting development that they have purchased a a 318-acre vineyard property in the Yamhill-Carlton AVA. All wines are made by Gina Hennen, the talented winemaker at Adelsheim. I think you will really enjoy hearing CJ and Dr. Elise’s story in wine. Here is my exclusive interview with CJ and Dr. Elise McCollum of McCollum Heritage 91 OB: Can you talk about how you both met and how wine has impacted both of your lives? CJ and E: Elise and I met in college through a mutual friend and have been together for almost half of our lives. We’ve been fortunate enough to explore the food and beverage industry all across the United States – from restaurants to wineries, this ind
- news
HALL and WALT White Wines and Rose
Here are some outstanding new releasees by HALL and WALT. You might know HALL for their Cabernets. But they make a killer range of wines outside of their world-class Cabernets. For years they have been producing one of the best Sauvignon Blanc wines for the price in the valley. HALL was founded in 1992 by visionaries Katheryn and Craig Hall, and over time they built one of Napa’s most beautiful, state of the art, wineries that is quite simply a must visit for any serious Napa enophile. This is one of the most fun, electric and beautiful spots to taste in the Napa Valley. HALL also have two outstanding separate lines, WALT (focusing on Pinot Noir and Chardonnay) and BACA (focusing on Zinfandel) that are seriously good in their own right. These brands have performed remarkably well since their inception. I adore the new 2025 WALT Rose (OB, 92) which is fresh, viscous and shows a glorious range of red fruits. One of the most consistent wines in the HALL lineup has been the HALL 2025 ‘Napa
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Approachment
Great photo here of the Approachment founders. It is my pleasure to share the wines of Approachment, founded byJessica and Paden West who have been in the industry for many years. Jessica started her wine path working in wine shops and tasting rooms. After learning the sales portion of the business, Jessica acquired an internship in 2013 at Bethel Heights Vineyard working directly with Winemaker Ben Casteel and viticulture master Mimi Casteel. Jessica then entered the NW Wine Studies program to earn her degree in Winemaking. Paden is originally from the Willamette Valley and began his path in wine just as Jessica did -by working in wine shops and tasting rooms. In 2010, Paden was offered an internship at Penner-Ash, managed by Winemaker Lynn Penner-Ash and Assistant Winemaker Brian Irvine. Paden serves as Benza head winemaker while Jessica makes the Approachment wines that show great poise and texture. I love the new 2024 Approachment ‘Oregon’ Pinot Noir (OB, 92) which is soft and appr
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Corollary
Corollary is making some of the finest sparkling wines on the West Coast. It is my pleasure to share one of the hottest Oregon Sparkling Wine brands on the scene. Corollary began with the 2017 vintage and has been an immediate success. They have new land in the Eola-Amity Hills AVA where they have now Oregon’s first privately-owned property dedicated exclusively to sparkling wines. This is a spectacular, dramatic and very windswept location to visit and taste wine. The wines are geeky and made with intension. I think that this is the first lineup yet. The 2021 Corollary ‘X-Omni Vineyard Blanc de Blancs’ Sparkling Wine (OB, 96) shows off the beautiful richness of the vintage and has immense power, flavor range, finesse and sterling tension. It is one of the great Oregon sparkling wines that I have tasted in the past year. Learn more about these beautiful wines at https://corollarywines.com/ and here are my reviews of the new wines by Corollary. 2021 Corollary ‘X-Omni Vineyard Blan
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Review: The Somm Hotel: Fresh New 4.5 Star Hotel in Woodinville
It was a fabulous stay at the brand new Somm Hotel, located in the heart of Woodinville. This hotel has been now open for several months but this was my first chance to do a thorough review. Let’s just say that my visit did not disappoint. The stay left little doubt that this is the best hotel in Woodinville. We checked in and then made our way to our room, located on the 3rd floor. The room faced north and had a little view. I love the motif of the check-in area with bottle punts everywhere as an ingenious light feature. This is exactly the kind of thing that you would like to see in Woodinville Wine Country. The room itself was a spacious corner suite with a pull-out bed that was perfect for our 3 year old. This room would be a great option of you are traveling with one or two kids. The main living room space leads into the bathroom and then the bedroom. I loved the comfort of the bed. I slept like a baby and my wife did as well. The room design makes sense for maximizing space. The
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Iterum
Great photo of Joe Dobbes, founder of Iterum. Today we share the wines ofJoe Dobbes who has a longstanding history in the Oregon wine industry. Dobbes has a new brand that focuses on wines from his at his Orchard House estate the Eola-Amity Hills AVA as well as several other vineyards. The Orchard House estate was purchased in 2018 and the site has Sauvignon Blanc which was first planted in 2021. The wines were seriously good across the board. I adored the new 2022 ‘Eola Bench’ Pinot Noir (OB, 94) which is dense and fleshy stuff that is drinking marvelously right now. Learn more about this outstanding house at https://iterumwines.com/ and here are my reviews of the new Iterum wines. 2022 Iterum ‘Orchard House Vineyard’ Chardonnay- Rich and layered, the 2022 ‘Orchard House Vineyard’ Chardonnay offers pie crust, baking spices and peaches on the palate alongside a refined mouthfeel. Full-boided with terrific flavor density, enjoy now and over the next eight years. Drink 2026-2034 - 93 202
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De Lancellotti
Great photo of the De Lancellotti family. For years I have admired the wines by De Lancellotti. This is an outstanding, remarkably consistent house that is producing pretty, beautifully textured Pinot Noir. Paul and Kendall de Lancellotti founded their own winery nearly two decades ago. They chose to plant their own vineyard in 2001 which was 16 acre Chehalem Mountain parcel focusing on Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. It was 2005 when this house started, utilizing the winemaking talents of Robert Brittan who serves as consulting winemaker and works with Paul to craft the wines together. The new wines come from the warmer 2024 vintage. They are round, generous and remarkably consistent. I love the 2024 De Lancellotti ‘Estate’ Pinot Noir (OB, 94) which has tons of cellaring potential and comes of pretty, round and generous. Learn more about these great wines at http://www.delancellottifamilyvineyards.com/ Here are the great new wines by de Lancellotti. 2024 De Lancellotti ‘Famiglia’&nbs